Author Archives: Michael D Johnson

There is a temptation to ties one’s worth into what one can produce. As if somehow what one does with their hands or with their time/gifting/energy etc defines them and their value. Indeed, for many of us, this is a temptation to consider that a person does not have quality of life unless they areContinue reading “What is my value?”

Have you ever had a weight on you that just kept pressing down with no relief in sight? When I work out in the gym and I get to the end of a set of reps, my arms or legs can begin shaking under the weight; but at least I know that I only haveContinue reading “Trying to bear up under it”

Have you ever had a weight on you that just kept pressing down with no relief in sight? When I work out in the gym and I get to the end of a set of reps, my arms or legs can begin shaking under the weight; but at least I know that I only haveContinue reading “Trying to bear up under it”

God is at work where you are right now. If you look around you and see the people, places and things, you can know for a fact that God is working right there in your midst. He is working there because He is always at work. He is working there because there is no placeContinue reading “Where you are right now”

I hope that your pastor is a great encourager and cheerleader in your life!  I personally try all the time to increase my availability and to improve my efforts at affirming and building up my family and friends and parishioners.  The truth is that many times I have dropped the ball. Many times I haveContinue reading “Who is encouraging you? Who is encouraging your pastor?”

Have you ever noticed someone around you “doing it wrong”? Or perhaps you realized along the way that you yourself were “doing it wrong”. This brief blog post is to get us thinking about what we should do when we see someone doing things in what we believe to be a wrong way. First ofContinue reading “Doing it wrong”

Numerous times I have found myself in discussions about pastoral ministry burnout and how to come out of it (not to mention of course what we might do to avoid it in the first place). Without oversimplifying it or making light of the pain of burnout I want to offer a few words regarding howContinue reading “An introduction to overcoming burnout”

Have you ever stopped to think about all the things we spend time worrying about and working on, and yet they really don’t matter? I have often asked myself the question “Ten thousand years from now, what will it matter?”. Somehow this question can help to put things in perspective. Most often the situation doesn’tContinue reading “Tending to things that matter”

Sometimes I think it becomes far too easy to be distracted and preoccupied with thoughts about wanting to be productive and effective rather than to just put our hand to the work.  What I mean is this: we spend time analyzing our work, we think about and discuss our mission, vision and goals, we critiqueContinue reading “Am I effective and productive?”

Dear Pastor, Do you ever struggle with the idea that you don’t have what it takes? Do you ever think that you should not be the person others come to, when they have questions about God and the Bible and spiritual matters? Do you think, “I’m not right for this” or “I’m not good enoughContinue reading “Overcoming doubts, weaknesses and insecurities”